Tata Steel Masters 2025: World Chess champ Gukesh breaks down after shocking defeat to Praggnanandhaa (WATCH)

Reigning World Chess champion D Gukesh was left devastated after his shocking title defeat to his compatriot R Praggnanandhaa at the Tata Steel Masters 2025 in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands on Monday, February 3. 

Dommaraju Gukesh was one of the strong favourites to win the Tata Steel Masters title, given that he recently became the youngest world chess champion and was in an exceptional form throughout the tournament. In the final, Gukesh faced off against his compatriot Praggnanandhaa for the title clash. The title clash between two young talented chess players was intrigued by the display of tactical prowess and unwavering determination as neither of the two were willing to give up. 

Also read: Milestone ALERT! Gukesh becomes World No. 4, displacing Arjun Erigaisi as highest-ranked Indian chess player

The final encounter between D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa was so intense that the score was tied at the top of the Masters’ leaderboard with 8.5/13 and the final went into the tiebreak in order to determine the winner of the tournament. The reigning world champion was on the edge by capitalizing on Praggnanandhaa’s blunders and won the first game. However, Praggnanandhaa’s determination and resilience were on display when refused to surrender in the second game. 

In the sudden-death, Praggnanandhaa was under immense pressure as D Gukesh gained upper hand by securing a pawn advantage. However, Praggnanandha was not willing to back out despite an inferior endgame position as his technical prowess put pressure on D Gukesh. Eventually, Gukesh succumbed to the pressure and lost control of the game by surrendering his pawn and his last remaining knight. Gukesh suffered a shocking defeat to R Praggnanandha despite having the upper hand early in the game. 

In a video that went viral on social media, D Gukesh was seen visibly devastated and broke down into tears as he was unable to process the heartbreaking defeat in the final of the Tata Steel Masters. 

Watch the video here 

Praggnanandhaa’s composure, resilience and focus were on display as he managed to escape from the pressure and secured a remarkable comeback victory, cementing his status as one of the brightest young talents in the world of chess. This Chennai-born clinched his maiden victory at Masters title. 

For Gukesh, it was a heartbreaking defeat as he was agonizingly close to winning another title of his career but fell short in the final moments. His performance was similar to his encounter with Chinese Grandmaster Wei Yei in the last edition of the Tata Steel Masters.